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Overne
The Overne are a humanoid species from the planet Overne III. The race exhibited head-tails which were similar to those of U'tani, perhaps suggesting a common ancestry. Overnes were also distinguished by montrals, large hollow horn-like projections from the top of their heads, that gave the species a form of passive echolocation. In order to protect themselves from dangerous predators, and to hunt their own prey, Togrutas banded together in dense tribes and relied on their natural pigmentation to disrupt and confuse the slow-witted beasts. Overnes worked well in large groups, and individualism was seen as abnormal within their culture, although it was also a necessary quality in leaders. Biology and Appearance Overnes had rusty skin tones ranging in hue from orange to red, with white pigmentation on their faces, and grayish lips.3 White stripes also adorned various parts of their bodies, including their chests, legs, backs, arms, lekku (head-tails), and montrals. The pattern of stripes varied from individual to individual. This red and white pattern was a phenotype left over from their ancestor's camouflage that helped them to blend in with their natural surroundings, especially the red-and-white turu-grass which dominated Overne III's scrublands. Their heads bore two montrals, and three (rarely four4) head-tails, whose stripes were darker than those of the montrals. Overne had the ability to sense the proximity and movement of physical objects around them by means of their hollow montrals, which detected space ultrasonically. Young Overnes montrals and posterior head-tail did not fully grow until adolescence, when their montrals become curved and their third head-tail grew to the length of their two main head-tails. As predators, Overnes had sharp canine teeth, which they used to painlessly kill thimiars, their primary prey, causing the creatures postmortem death spasms. This gave outsiders the false impression that Overnes were venomous. However, Overnes did nothing to dispel this misconception and even took advantage of the intimidating presence it gave them. Culture Overnes have a strong sense of unity and togetherness. On their native homeworld of Overne III, they relied on each other and would band together to take a stand against the massive monsters that hunted them, such as the akul. It is said that the creatures of Shili most often attacked in groups, which was even more reason for the native Overnes to work together. While most of Overne III was covered in the scrublands where the Overnes hunted their herbivorous prey, the Overnes lived in small communities in the forest valleys, where the canopies kept them out of sight. Overnes were known for their habit of not wearing shoes; they believed that the land was spiritually connected to them, and wearing shoes cut themselves from a bond with the land. In the pack, every able Overne was expected to contribute his or her own share, as any food attained was distributed equally. Overnes were also known for their belief that those who could not keep up should be left to fend for themselves, because that is nature's way. Other sentient species found this particular belief quite inhumane. Those within a pack who led had a difficult time with fulfilling their goals because of the risk of becoming individualistic. As hunters, the Overnes showed off the pelts and teeth of their game as a sign of pride and maturation. Ironically, special pride was taken in the teeth of akul that a Overne had taken down as an individual. These teeth often were made into jewelry such as an akul-tooth headdress or a necklace, which also incorporated metals, stones, and pearls found on Overne III.